Don Finley: Mountain cedar

The first faint wisps of mountain cedar pollen began drifting into town on chilly north winds beginning last Tuesday. Trace amounts were recorded at the Northwest San Antonio offices of Dr. Paul Ratner on Nov. 12, 13 and 15. Slightly higher counts, in the “light” category, were measured on Saturday and again today.

Mountain cedar is the leading cause of allergy misery in South Texas, ahead of even ragweed &#151 which is the No. 1 scourge elsewhere in the country. Dense forests of the trees, which actually are a type of juniper, stretch across the Hill Country.

When they really get going, the trees produce some of the highest pollen counts known to humankind. You can see this for yourself if you wander through one of the North Side parks, like Eisenhower or McAllister. Find a male tree (the ones with the little brown buds) and shake one of its branches. You’ll be engulfed in a thick, reddish brown haze.

As my colleague Jerry Needham reported recently, the fall rains &#151 which failed to lift us out of drought conditions &#151 were adequate to produce healthy trees. That’s bad news if you suffer from cedar allergies.

Here are some survival strategies. A couple of years ago, as my own allergies worsened, I started taking a prescription nasal steroid. Ideally, you begin a couple of weeks before the season begins, then continue through the season. It works great. You can even use it with an antihistamine during peak pollen counts to reduce itchy eyes and such.